Prospects applaud effort vs. ’Bama

ByBy Chris AndersonStaff writer

After Saturday’s loss to Alabama, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said that his players were disappointed, but had their heads high after a strong performance. Still, he was clear that none of his players were going around looking for someone to pat them on the back.

If they were, though, there would be plenty of people there to give them a hand, starting with recruits who were glued to their televisions and came away thoroughly impressed with what they saw from the Mountaineers.

“I loved the way WVU played,” said David Long, a top target in the 2015 class. “A couple of mistakes, but to hang with a team like that is always good. West Virginia was the better team yesterday.”

Long, who is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, plans to see the Mountaineers in person later this month when Oklahoma comes to town. He’ll likely be joined by current commit Matt Jones, who says Saturday’s showing has him antsy to put on a West Virginia uniform.

“I thought they did really well,” said Jones. “This season is going to be great, and I can’t wait till next year when I play for them. They looked pretty good.”

The praise was not just limited to the 2015 class, either. Jango Glackin, a 2016 linebacker out of Lebanon, Ohio, who was recently offered by the Mountaineers, was watching intently.

“I watched the entire thing,” he said. “I was honestly surprised at how well WVU played. I felt like the players played tough and continued to make big plays the entire game. The entire team seemed fast and the defense swarmed to the ball. It was honestly one of the most exciting games I have seen in a long time and definitely helps me see myself playing at WVU.”

And for prized sophomore Lamont Wade out of Clairton, Pa., Saturday was just a sign of things to come this season.

“Even though it was a loss, I was pretty impressed with their performance,” said the 2017 recruit, who 247Sports has given an initial four-star ranking as one of the top players in the country, regardless of position. “Nobody thought they could hang, but they did. I think they should cause problems in the Big 12 this year.”